Abstract This article challenges the perceived dichotomy between NGO service delivery and advocacy, arguing that in constrained civic spaces, strategic service provision is a potent tool for fostering democratic participation. Through a qualitative case study of ActionAid Zimbabwe (AAZ), the paper examines how the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) reframes service…

ABSTRACT This study examines the complex role of campaigning NGOs in fostering sustainable livelihoods within Zimbabwe’s challenging socio-political landscape. Focusing on ActionAid Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, and the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, the research employs a qualitative, multiple-case study approach, drawing on document analysis, key informant…

Abstract While non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are pivotal in advocating for policies that support sustainable livelihoods in Zimbabwe, a discernible disjuncture often emerges between their advocacy work and the realisation of tangible, sustainable benefits for communities. This article explores this “advocacy-impact gap” by examining community perspectives on the work of three…

Abstract For over a decade, the “shrinking civic space” has been the dominant framework for analysing state-society relations, a narrative given urgent validation in Zimbabwe by the 2025 enactment of the restrictive Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act. This paper argues, however, that a focus on domestic repression alone is…